How to reduce your cholesterol by 50% without drugs

Posted by Andrew is getting fit on April 23, 2008 at 6:06pm

About a year ago I had a conversation with my doctor that most people would dread. He wanted me to think about taking drugs to reduce my cholesterol levels. I refused as I thought I would try to decrease my cholesterol through modifying my lifestyle first.

Last week I went for my cholesterol test and I got my results back today. In my humble opinion they are fantastic! I'm within the normal range on every count.

	Recommended Range:	2007	2008
Total Cholesterol:	Less than 200	343	152
HDL Cholesterol:	Between 35-60	58	36
LDL Cholesterol:	Less than 130	266	101
Triglycerides:	Less than 151	118	62
Total/HDL Ratio:	Less than 4.5	5.9	4.3

So how did I do it? I'm afraid that those of you looking for an easy solution are out of luck. I did it the hard way, by changing my lifestyle. I think I have 3 main tips that I will share:

1. Cut out processed foods.

I've learnt the hard way that processed foods are not good for me. Nowadays I focus on eating mainly natural foods, predominantly fruits and vegetables. I've been a vegetarian for the last two years (just about) and this may have helped as well.

2. Exercise

I know this is a dirty word to many people but exercise has literally changed my life. I used to be a massive couch potato and now I'm running in races and getting the jitters when I can't get my exercise in. The funny thing about exercise is that the more you do the more you want to do. It's hard at first but once you get in the habit it's annoyingly addictive.

3. Enjoy my treats in moderation

Life without treats is not worth living in my opinion. I still enjoy curly fries, chocolate cake and so forth. The key is that I enjoy them occasionally and in moderation. Before I started my healthy lifestyle I wanted quantity over quality. I'd eat snacks and junk food every day. Two litre bottles of Coke were part of my everyday diet. Now I don't drink fizzy drinks at all (water is so much better) and I have junk food rarely.

I think that if I can do it then anyone can. It's not easy and at times I have fallen off the wagon as it were but it is definitely worth it. Today my cholesterol is normal and I feel very happy about that.